Dylan Vitone: LeisureGallery II: Richard Gilles: Towers

dnj Gallery is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibitions by gallery artists Dylan Vitone and
Richard Gilles. The main gallery will feature “Leisure” by Vitone. Gallery II will display “Towers”
by Gilles. These are both artists’ third solo exhibitions at dnj Gallery.

“Leisure” includes work from Vitone’s “Yellowstone” and “Rutland” projects. In “Yellowstone,”
Vitone investigates modern society’s interaction with nature, capturing the throngs of tourists who
flock to the historic park. In contrast, in the “Rutland” project, Vitone explores less mainstream
pursuits at Skatopia in southern Ohio. Photographing the skate enthusiasts who camp there, Vitone
looks beyond the tough exterior of youth counterculture to find an underlying beauty and naïveté.
Together, the projects form a dialogue about the role of leisure in American society.

As with his earlier series, Vitone stitches together several images to create a nearly 360-degree
view, which, as he states, “allows [him] to show simultaneously details and relationships at multiple
spacial and perceptual levels….” “Working in the tradition of street photographers and social
anthropologists such as Milton Rogovin and Bruce Davidson, Vitone makes extended portraits of
communities through intimate observations of their everyday rituals.” (Leah Ollman, Los Angeles
Times, 10-24-08).

Vitone is an Associate Professor in the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. He holds a
B.A. in Photo-communications from St. Edwards University and an M.F.A. in Photography from the
Massachusetts College of Art. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions
throughout the country and is in the permanent collections of many museums, including the George
Eastman House, Rochester, New York and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of
American History in Washington, D.C.

Gilles’ “Towers” series in Gallery II captures pairs of vertical structures set against stark panoramas
with ample skies and low horizons. He views the towers as “sentries standing watch over the
landscape” and, with Google Maps to help him scout locations across the United States (including
many in California and Nevada), is meticulous about adhering to the rigid formula of pairs.
“Towers” is a continuation of Gilles’ ongoing exploration of the unnoticed and overlooked, and is
an invitation to consider both the condition of the terrain and the symbolism of the structures
occupying it.

Gilles earned his B.A. in Fine Arts from San Francisco State University. His work has been
exhibited in California and throughout the country and is in the collections of the Southeast
Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach, Florida and the University of California, Davis, Richard L.
Nelson Gallery & Fine Arts Collection, Davis, California.